I think the show references the cameras to imitate how REAL L.E. would handle a situation like this, and the contestants are INSTRUCTED to act "wary" of cameras / or told they will be seen on camera (even though they won't).
They took extra license with this but I'm ok with it.
I see no way they have access to all those cameras, impossible but maybe I'm wrong.
It seems very odd that they can access all these cameras on a whim. We're never shown how they gain access to the cameras, and even if they do, there are a LOT of cameras out there that do not record, they only show live video, so how is it they conveniently keep running into cameras that keep a nice clear recording. It doesn't work like that in real life.
In real life, a LOT of stores and shops have cameras set up, but are there just to be there, many of them don't record, and those that do are not 1080p or 2160p HD for CBS...
Regardless, all contestants should stay off of Interstate Highway System roadways and plazas, any fugitive would know this--not sure why they don't, as there are cameras everywhere on that network.
> It seems very odd that they can access all these cameras on a whim. We're never shown how they gain access to the cameras,
This show recreates a lot of scenes that they could not get live because they aren't a real law-enforcement agency. So, when they say, "Let's get the footage," and five minutes later they are looking at the right footage, that's a recreation.
The head producer is in constant communication with the camera operators. So, when the Hunter team says, "I want to see that footage," the head producer waits a few minutes and then tells the team what they would be seeing if they were looking at actual footage (color of the car, how the players are dressed, etc). Then, when the show is over, the producer goes to the gas station that owns the footage and asks to buy it. Then, the editors splice in that footage to make it look like it was seen in real time.
If they can't get the footage, they just recreate it. The pay the players to come back and recreate the scene and then pretend that the new footage is the missing closed-camera footage.
What the players and Hunters do is absolutely real, but much of the footage is recreated, just like in any documentary. You don't think 20/20 or Dateline uses all real footage, do you?
--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?